A Mad World
by teeceecee
Summary: One night stands were meant to remain as they were: one night with no strings attached, the possibility of meeting the random guy she followed home zero to a million. But when you're a reckless blonde who's constantly on life's 'to muck up list', that man might just end up being your boss; "And this is why I'm burning that dress the moment I get back home." Strongly rated T.
1. Blame It On The Alcohol

**Hello, everyone! I decided to write this after getting inspired by one of those AU prompts on tumblr. The prompt was 'write about a one night stand before the first day of your new job and oops, that was your boss that you were sleeping with.' I edited it and changed it to a one night stand before the first day of a job interview to spice things up (pun totally not intended). **

**I seriously had fun with this and I hope you guys will love it too :) **

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

**Warning: This is strongly rated T for subtle sexual situations. **

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><p>The smoke from the bar stung her eyes and she had to keep blinking to ward away the forming tears. She couldn't understand how her friend managed to enjoy this as Merida was in her element, yelling insults at the other men and subtly flirting with the barman who was more than happy that her attention was on him. She just couldn't seem to comprehend why anyone would want to drink alcohol, the liquid burning down her throat and left her gasping.<p>

The hem of her purple dress barely reached her knees, forcing her to tug it down whenever it started riding up. But then it left her cleavage spilling out in an obscene way and she _really_ didn't want to give the hot-blooded males in the bar any ideas.

In short, Rapunzel was uncomfortable, and her best friend's efforts to cajole her were in vain.

"C'mon, ye could at least try ter have fun," Merida said, sipping on her third glass of dry beer.

The blonde woman mumbled, ducking her head down as slim fingers went to the hem, inwardly cursing herself for even buying a dress like that.

Still too much cleavage.

"Ah can't hear ye, wee lamb, ye gotta speak up," the red head said, emphasizing on the last word.

Rapunzel sighed. "I said I feel uncomfortable."

The Scot tilted her head to one side, regarding her friend. "Is it about yer mum?"

The blonde flinched, raising her eyes to level a glare at Merida. The red head lifted up her hands in surrender.

"Don't give me that look, Ah was just asking."

Rapunzel knew that and she sighed again, shifting in the bar stool. "It's not that."

"Then whot is it?" her friend asked, teal blue eyes wide with concern. "Ye know ye can tell me anything and Ah won't judge."

The blonde stared wistfully at the clock, noting that there was still an hour before her deal with Merida was up and her best friend would allow her to head back their shared apartment.

"It's just getting late and I have a job interview tomorrow," Rapunzel said, absentmindedly taking a sip of beer. The drink made her scrunch her face up and she shuddered, setting the glass down with a firm thud.

"Och, lass, don't ye worry, ye'll do great," she said and peered back to the bar. "Hang on, Ah think this drink isn't what ye need – Will! Some Cosmos if ye please!"

Rapunzel blanched and shook her head, plastering a bright smile on her pink colored lips. "N-no, I'm fine, Mer, really."

The barman however, didn't seem to hear her, instead rushing to take Merida's order after giving her a not so subtle wink.

"What do you want me to do? Wake up hammered the next day?" the blonde accused, green eyes narrowed.

Her friend only shrugged and smirked devilishly. "It's ter get ye loosened up a little 'fore we head to the club."

Rapunzel shook her head when the drink arrived and after some cajoling from Merida, she took a tentative sip of her drink.

This time, there was no burning sensation, just a slight buzz when the alcohol hit her system. She felt lightheaded but pleasantly so, as if her mind were finally free from all of its burdens.

She giggled and saw the redhead nod encouragingly as she stood up. "C'mon, lamb, time ter put all yer bad memories behind and go dancing."

A part of her that still maintained a shred of sanity told her not to do it, that she was going to do something she truly regretted. But the other part of her, the part that silently had enough of life telling her what not to do reared up at the mention of fun.

Against her better judgement, she followed Merida out of the bar and into a waiting cab.

~~O~~O~~

The music here was louder than the mellow tunes of the bar, LCD lights shining and piercing the darkness like lasers. The atmosphere at the Pink Slip was rowdier too, with men and women dancing, grinding up against each other and scantily clad waitresses delivering drinks to their leering customers.

"Mer, what place is this?" Rapunzel asked, through the haze of alcohol and the loud thrumming of bass.

"A club, whot did ye think?" her friend replied, pushing aside people as if they were nothing but props. Rapunzel apologized for them whenever someone threw them a dirty glare and she rushed forward, tugging on Merida's hand to slow her down.

Her friend only waved her along, turning to give her an impatient smile, face illuminated by the unnatural blue light and mysterious smoke. Her hand slipped from the sleeve of her best friend's leather jacket and as fast as lightning, she lost Merida in the throbbing crowd.

"Mer?" she called out, walking in the general direction that her friend had taken.

Without looking, she bumped back into someone. The person swore and she turned around with wide eyes, apology on the tip of her tongue.

Her words failed when she saw who she had bumped into, all thoughts flying out the window except for one; glaring in her mind like neon lights and pulsing with undeniable attraction.

_Holy smokes, he's hot._

The man before her was tall and lithely built as if he did parkour or swimming in his free time. His face was chiseled, a masculine jaw offsetting a charming, boyish face. On anyone else, it would have appeared unusual but on him, it strangely seemed to fit. Bright, white teeth glinted under the club's lighting, matching the color of his pure white hair.

He looked up, jaw clenched in annoyance but changed when he caught sight of her.

"Hey," he said, and even through the loud music, she could hear his voice. It was warm, deep and made a shiver ran up her spine just hearing it.

"I-I'm so sorry," she said, gaze running up and down his form, trying to see if she had accidentally spill anything on him.

He gave her an easy grin, one filled with mischief. "It's alright. It isn't everyday that I get a drop dead gorgeous girl bumping into me."

"Really? Not when you're this good looking?" she asked in disbelief. Her words caught up with her and she flushed, eyes cast downwards.

Did she actually just say _that?_

Mortified, she turned to walk away but his hand came to wrap around her wrist, grounding her there. She looked up to find him smirking, causing her heart to flutter in her chest. His touch left a fiery imprint on her skin, leaving it tingling even after he had let go of her wrist.

"What's your name, beautiful?"

"R-Rapunzel," she said, staring up into his eyes which were a wonderful shade of Arctic blue.

"I'm Jack," he said, grinning.

"Jack?" she blurted out, the words tumbling out even as she begged her mouth to shut up. "As in, Just Jack?"

His grin widened and he even chuckled. "Yup, just Jack."

"No last names?"

"None that I can share."

"Afraid I might recognize it in the papers?" she teased. "Maybe in the breaking news section?"

He placed a hand on his heart, as if offended. "And here I thought I would be sharing drinks with someone who wouldn't even suspect."

"You wanted to share a drink?" she asked, feeling her heart starting to beat faster. "Well, why didn't you say so? I wouldn't have even mentioned it."

She was surprised to find herself unabashedly flirting back, her hand unconsciously placed on his arm. Rapunzel flushed again, drawing her hand down but he caught it, unwittingly shocking her with his touch.

"Now that you mentioned it," he said, smirking, "I would like to find myself in your presence for a little while longer. So, how about we head to the bar?"

A little while longer turned into an hour filled with teasing and flirting over some gin and tonic. Rapunzel found herself liking the drink even if it made the lightheaded sensation increase which in turn led to more giggling, laughter and heated stares between the both of them.

Her phone buzzed, cutting Jack off from a joke he was telling and she glanced down, thinking it was Merida. Instead, it was her step-mother.

_Don't think this is over, you still have some explaining to do. And don't even imagine for a second that I would let you go on your own that easily. _

Anger coursed through her and she shut her phone with an annoyed click, switching it off for good measure.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, placing his hand on her bare shoulder. His touch awoken something in her, something that she had never felt before.

"No," she admitted, trying to get a leash on her hormones and – goddammit, _must_ he have attractive lips as well?

"What happened?" he asked, brow furrowed in concern.

She shook her head, not wanting to ruin her night by deliberately recalling her problems.

"Do you need me to do anything? Get you another drink?"

Rapunzel didn't know what came over her, she was never those sort of girl's that her step-mother detested. She was never the type of girl to do what she was about to do; never the type to drown herself in another person's touch and lose herself like this.

No, she wasn't even remotely those type of girls. But right now, she didn't care.

"Distract me," she whispered through a half lidded gaze as she leaned forward, catching his lips with hers.

Jack made a noise of surprise, but kissed her back, rough hands going to her hair as his fingers wrapped around her waves, latching her closer to him. The music faded, the rowdy shouts quietened, and all she could feel was his skin on hers, his lips moving with unrestrained passion.

It left her breathless. It left her yearning.

She gasped when she felt his teeth nibbling her lower lip and Jack took advantage of her surprise, tongue peeking out to tangle with hers in a dance that was as foreign as it was erotic.

Her hands trailed down from his neck, to dip under the collar of his plain t-shirt, fingers brushing hotly against his cool skin.

He made a noise of approval as his other hand hooked around her knee, bringing a leg up around his waist, her back hitting solid concrete.

Rapunzel's head was spinning, from the alcohol and from the dizziness that his kisses brought. His touch sent electric sparks on her skin, travelling all the way to her lower stomach where she felt the queerest sensation, as if someone had lighted a flame that constricted her womb.

It engulfed her and she gasped, whispering his name and he leaned down, leaving open mouthed kisses on her neck.

Head spinning, breaths shallow. The music was much too loud, much too soft. His hands all over...she needed more – no, she _wanted_ more.

She broke the kiss, taking in mused white hair and fiery Arctic eyes.

"Your place or mine?" he said, fingers splayed on the soft skin of her thigh, the heat that emanated from his palm sent goosebumps down her skin.

Rapunzel didn't know what he meant but she was willing to guess that it had something to do with taking it further.

"Yours," she whispered heatedly, smashing her lips against his once more.

~~O~~O~~

Rapunzel awoke, disorientated with her head throbbing. It felt as if there was a jack hammer in there, pounding away.

Her lower body felt tender and with a grimace she remembered that there _had_ been a Jack pounding away down there as well. She glanced over at her side, finding him fast asleep, one hand carelessly thrown around her waist.

Disentangling herself from his grasp, she made her way silently down his bed, the room too dark for her to make out anything but the various lumps on the floor. She picked up her underwear, throwing them on haphazardly as she struggled with the zipper of her dress. Pulling it over, she walked to the door, opening it as quietly as she could, minding the soft 'click clack' of her high heels.

The door creaked and she froze. Jack mumbled and turned over, his back to hers and she let out a small breath of relief.

Closing the door behind her, she made her way down the lavish hall, noting the walls that were covered with pale blue wallpaper and the shelves of books lining the living room halls. If she hadn't been so busy distracted by his wondering touches, Rapunzel was sure that she would have been fascinated by his collection.

Thankfully, he had switched off his house alarm and she managed to get past the door with nothing but a stubbed toe and a few curses.

She took the lift down, cursing when she realized that she had forgotten her clutch. Making her way up again, she sneaked into his house, taking the offending object and scampering back to the lift as quietly as she could.

In the lift, she exhaled, leaning her back against the cool metal. When Jack mentioned 'his place' she had expected it to be a shabby apartment block in a shady neighborhood because of the way how he dressed. She knew that casual jeans, t-shirt and sneakers didn't necessarily equate to his economic value but she hadn't been expecting _this._

She certainly didn't envisage a lobby-man, security cameras, huge living rooms and even an indoor Jacuzzi. A hot flush spread across her cheeks, remembering what _exactly_ they did in the Jacuzzi.

_Lips brushed on her neck, teeth leaving an imprint._

_Her voice trembled when she told him she had never had sex in water before and all he did was chuckle, a rich, warm sound that went straight to her womanhood. Whispered promises of how it would feel good, and then, a twinge of pleasure..._

Rapunzel flushed as she shook off the memory, the ache between her thighs much more pronounced now.

She leaned her cheek on the cool metal as she fished out her phone, surprised to find ten missed calls from Merida and another angry text message from her mother. She ignored the message and pressed the call button, thankful when Merida's voice answered a moment later.

"Punzie! Thank goodness," her friend sighed. "Where have you been?"

The blonde didn't know what to tell her friend, afraid that Merida would press too much when she knew that Rapunzel had followed someone home. But if she didn't conjure up a believable story, her friend was bound to suspect and she didn't want her finding out some other way.

She sighed, rolling her eyes as she gritted out the truth.

"I went home with someone."

Silence at the other end of the line before Merida guffawed.

"Oh my God, Punz, barely even a week you've been here and you've already got yerself some."

Rapunzel shook her head but realized that the Scot couldn't see.

"Could you just come and pick me up?"

"Ah thought ye had a car," her friend replied pointedly.

"Mer, did you seem to forget that I came with you on your bike?"

"Uh...alrigh' then, wait for me, Ah'll be there in a bit."

~~O~~O~~

The paranoia of being watched constantly followed her as she stood by the street, waiting for her friend. Checking her phone clock, she grimaced to find that it was already three in the morning.

A man walking down the street made eye contact with her and she stiffened in fear, hoping that he would just leave her alone. It was bad enough that she had gone home with some random guy she had just met; life didn't need to throw her more proverbial crap by putting her in another dangerous situation.

The man ignored her, walking past by, eyes pointedly cast down and she let out a small breath.

Headlights washed the gray pavement, the familiar sound of Merida's bike filling her with relief.

The Scot whistled when she caught sight of the building before her. "Ye sure know how to pick up some guys, Punzie."

The blonde put on her helmet, ignoring her friend's joke and hopped behind her. Merida kicked her bike into gear and they were soon speeding down the road.

"Promise me you won't talk about this on the way back," she pleaded.

Merida shrugged and she could literally feel her give a smug smile. "No promises."

Rapunzel groaned in exasperation, knowing that she will never hear the end of it once Merida knew the details of her one night stand. "Fine, I'll do the dishes for the whole week, tops."

"Okay, but ye gotta give me the juicy deets tomorrow, alrigh'?"

The blonde grudgingly agreed, if only to keep her quiet.

There was no way in heaven or hell that Merida would know how carnal things actually got between her and Jack. One night stand? Correction: more like the best sex of her life.

~~O~~O~~

The next morning past by in a blur as Merida woke Rapunzel up for her interview. If she wasn't in such a hurry, the blonde would have found it disconcsrting and borderline strange that Merida had actually risen up earlier than her and was helping her with her morning routine.

"The things Ah do fer ye, lamb," her friend sighed as she tossed a granola bar to Rapunzel. The blonde failed to catch it and it hit her head with a small 'thunk', not doing anything to ease the throbbing headache from her hangover.

Rapunzel winced when she heard the blender going off in the kitchen, the sound doing wonders to stir up her empty and nauseous stomach.

"If you didn't drag me out to 'have fun', you wouldn't be up by now," she retorted, fixing her hair up in a messy bun while applying some eyeliner at the same time.

The results were not what she had envisioned but for someone in her predicament, messy hair and too thick eyeliner was almost presentable.

She cursed when she accidentally dropped her blush, the bright pink pancake shattering to pieces upon impact on the wooden floor. Sighing, she gathered the remains and swirled her fluffy brush over it, grateful that the blush still packed enough color to enliven her zombie pale cheeks.

The blonde grabbed her purse and headed out from her room, bumping into Merida in the process.

The Scot managed to avoid her just in time, the cup she was carrying nearly flying to the ground.

"Jesus, lamb, ye gotta relaxed. And here." She thrust the cup into Rapunzel's face and she obediently drank, nearly gagging at the taste.

"What is that?" she said, eyes watering from the strong taste and smell.

"Tomatoes and eggs. They help with hangovers. Can't have ye slurring yer boss' name on the first day, can Ah?"

"Are they _raw?_"

"Yup, now drink up."

"Ugh." Rapunzel made a face but finished the concoction anyway, hoping and praying that this didn't make her throw up at work. "And I _just_ brushed my teeth."

"Och, quit yer whining and get to work," Merida scolded as she helped Rapunzel into her pastel purple jacket. Her friend stopped, twirled her around to better scrutinize her.

"The color purple's too juvenile but on ye it looks fine."

"Thanks," Rapunzel said, smiling sincerely as she raced out of the door. "And remember, if my mother calls-"

"Ah'll say yer not home, gotcha," Merida said, returning her smile. "Now, get! Or ye'll be late!"

She chuckled and closed the door, rushing to the apartment's car park area, located her tiny Beetle and quickly sped off.

~~O~~O~~

The parking lot of her new work building was limited but she managed to find a spot, rushing out of her car and into the lift. She sighed and straightened her clothes, touched up her hair and smoothed back any flyaways.

She tested her breath, wincing when it came out smelling of tomatoes and god knows what else beside the eggs. The elevator 'pinged' and she was soon face to face with her potential work place.

'St. North Travelling Agencies' was written in golden, gilded letters against a wooden paneling, the sound of splashing water from a nearby fountain calming her nerves. She gathered herself, giving her outfit a quick once over before pushing open the door. The merry tinkling of bells greeted her once she entered, along with the strong smell of a pine air freshener.

"Why, hello. You must be Miss Corona."

Rapunzel turned to find a short, petite woman with the color of rainbows in her hair standing behind the desk, bright smile in place.

"Uh, yes, I'm here for the ten o'clock interview," she said as she fiddled with the string of her purse.

"Mr. North's nephew will be with you shortly," the receptionist said, extending her hand. "By the way, I'm Thia, but most people call me Tooth because-"

She flushed and gestured to her desk. Rapunzel had to do a double take when she realized that miniature teeth models and books on teeth were scattered all over her desk. The blonde glanced up in disbelief.

"-I have a thing for teeth."

The young woman huffed a laugh, running a finger over an incisor. "It's alright, I have a thing for suns too," she said with a shrug.

Tooth's demeanor instantly brightened and she nodded. "It's almost like an obsession, right?"

Rapunzel wouldn't exactly call it an obsession, just that she loved drawing suns. Purple suns, pink suns, cut out suns, anything and everything to do with that ball of gas and light. However, she noticed that there was a trend when it came to her art - every single sun constantly had eight rays even if she could add more. She guessed that it had something to do with making her art seem much more aesthetically pleasing.

"Oh, but look at me, talking about things that have no relation to work," she said and tittered. She drew Rapunzel to a seat, literally plonking her down.

"I'll call you when you're needed."

"Okay," Rapunzel said before remembering her manners. "And thank you."

"No problem," Tooth replied easily as she flitted back to her working desk. Rapunzel could only smile in amusement. That woman moved as if she were a tiny hummingbird, always constantly on the go.

"Thia, is she here yet?"

A prickle of familiarity trickled into her mind at the sound of that voice. It seemed so familiar. Just where had she heard it?

"Yes she is, Mr. Overland. Would you like me to bring her in?" Thia called, past the open door. Rapunzel tried to crane her neck to see past the wall that was blocking her view but the receptionist intervened, gesturing for her to get up. Rapunzel hastily straightened and plastered on a bright smile, not wanting to show her potential colleague just how much of a snoop she was.

"Mr. Overland would see you now."

The blonde didn't know why but she felt her stomach flip with nerves. A bad feeling loomed over her, like a dark cloud over her head.

"Oh, and Thia, please get me some Tylenol, my headache is-"

Rapunzel walked into the room, eyes glancing about when they stopped on his face. Her gaze widened and a small breath of surprise left her.

His eyes trailed up from the documents he was signing and caught her gaze.

She saw him did a double take and suddenly, the memories from last night resurfaced.

"_Wider, love, I want to be inside of you."_

"_Jack...more..._please._"_

_He groaned. "Just the thought of you touching yourself makes me want to have you right now."_

Splotches of pink adorned her cheeks and she was sure she saw his neck reddening.

"Um, Ms. Thia, could you please leave us?" he said, voice full of strain.

"Of course, Mr. Overland," she said, flitting out of the room.

Rapunzel didn't know where to look and she was silently despairing now that Tooth had disappeared. Unsure what to do, she settled for staring past him, willing her heated face to cool.

Honestly, what were the chances of any woman in this vast, wide planet having sex with an unknown man only to find out he was their potential boss?

It just wasn't fair that it had to be _the_ one in a million for her.

Jack cleared his throat, clicking his pen shut. She looked up to find him smiling, but his eyes were regarding her with tight restrain and maybe even resentment.

"Miss Corona, wasn't it?"


	2. So, Maybe There Were Consequences?

**Maybe it's the fact that I love torturing my babies with awkward encounters and silly scenarios that scar them for life but oh, well, here's the new chapter. Thank you to those who reviewed, favorited and followed because holy guacamole, I totally did not expect that high a number of reviews for the just the first chapter. **

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><p>To say the interview was awkward would be the understatement of the century.<p>

It was practically cringe-worthy.

She could see the vein in his temple throb with every careful question, his jaw clenched and tensing whenever he was forced to make eye contact with her.

"And you have a degree in arts and advertisement from the University of Berlin?" he said, quirking a pale eyebrow. His hands shuffled through her application papers and certificates with practiced and ease and her cursed mind decided to replay that time when those very same hands had gripped the soft flesh of her hips as he worked her over.

"Y-yes," she said, refusing to meet his eye. If Jack gave an indication that he knew what she was thinking about, he didn't show it, instead clearing his throat and continuing on with the next question.

"What do you think you can contribute to St. North's travelling agencies?"

Rapunzel intertwined her slim fingers together, mulling over the question. What could she contribute to this company that was renowned in Burgess as having the precision and consistency in bringing quality holidays to its residents? She took a deep breath and decided to wing it.

"For all my life I've wanted to travel the world and discover new places. I was initially attracted to this sector because of my artistic tendencies and my love of advertising and when I heard of a position in this company I decided to take it because I know I can bring forth more information to the public...preferably while designing a new banner or template for the official website."

Face slightly flushed from her speech, she saw as he tilted his head, regarding her words.

Jack nodded, eyes glued to her papers once again and she shifted in her seat, already nervous for the outcome.

"Miss Corona, I apologize for this but I don't think we can hire you."

Her heart plummeted at his words and she gaped, unsure of what to reply.

"B-But I have all the credits, and I'm even willing to work overtime!"

"Yes, but due to your 'B' in management finance, I have to rethink-"

"Bullshit," she whispered angrily, not even mortified at her language. For once, Rapunzel didn't care that she was sounding crass; she knew why Jack wouldn't hire her, and it wasn't because of a paper she did marginally worse due to a sudden flu.

He didn't want to hire her because she had slept with him.

"This has nothing to do with my results," she said, gesturing at him. "This has everything to do with what we did yesterday."

She saw him wince and knew she was right.

"Miss Corona," he said in a tone that was tight with warning. "It is inappropriate to mention the things we-"

"You mean as inappropriate as that time you told me you loved the way how I gave you head?" the blonde demanded.

Her rational side insisted caution but she was much too riled up to care. That two timing son of a bitch could shove his lame, double standard excuses up his ass. This wasn't even about her application at all and it wasn't fair!

"I studied like crazy for that last paper; I chose this place because of the good reviews and recommendations; I chose this place because your uncle was renowned as being a very business savvy organizer and I will definitely not back down after sacrificing a lot just to have his nephew tell me off that I can't be here because of some stupid mistake!" she said, voice rising with her cresting anger.

"Rapunzel-" he growled but was cut off by a jolly chuckle.

The both of them turned and Rapunzel's eyes widened when she caught sight of the big figure by the doorway. He was easily seven feet tall, with wide shoulders and an even wider waistline; white hair and beard reaching to his chest.

Bright splashes of red adorned his cheeks and his hands were covered with tattoos, each one bearing Russian words that were indecipherable to her.

Despite his tough exterior, the man reminded of Santa Claus, with his jovial round face and constantly smiling mouth.

"She's feisty. I like that."

"Uncle," Jack said, his demeanor changing instantly, becoming docile and contrite. "I thought you were in St. Petersburg to collect the commission money?"

"Ja, I was," he said as he sauntered into the room. He extended a large, meaty hand to Rapunzel who took it tentatively. His bigger hand squeezed her tinier one gently in a handshake as he grinned.

"And what is your name, you passionate woman who I commend for telling my Jack off?" he asked, blue eyes sparkling.

"Rapunzel," she said, then added, "Rapunzel Corona."

"Rapunzel," he said in that heavy, Russian accent of his. "Good to meet you."

"Likewise," the blonde said, trying for a frazzled smile before realizing who she was talking to. "Mr. North, if I am not mistaken?"

His grin grew wider. "Ja." North then turned to his nephew who was glowering at him.

"Erase that face Jack and tell me what was all the commotion about."

Fear gripped her heart and Rapunzel nearly hissed at Jack to not tell his uncle the full truth but the white haired man had already started to speak.

"It was nothing, uncle, just a misunderstanding on her results," Jack replied, gesturing at her string of 'A's' and that one unlucky 'B'. "The art paper had always been hard and I thought she had forged her results."

North furrowed his brow. "Did you?" he inquired.

Rapunzel quickly shook her head, mumbling a, "No".

The huge man's face brightened and he shrugged. "Then I see no problem. Jack, hire her."

The younger man spluttered, running a thousand and one excuses but his uncle held up a hand. "Jack, it is obvious that Miss Corona here is well versed in art and qualified for the opening. I don't see any harm in it."

He sighed in defeat, removing a blue form from his office tray. He slid it to her, and handed her a pen. She reached out to take it, grazing his skin in the process. A sharp spark of electric went off on her skin at his touch and she dropped her eyes to the form, unwilling to meet his frustrated gaze.

"Your contract," he said curtly after recovering from the shock of their touch. He gestured to the details. "Your salary before taxation, the number of leaves that you are allowed and the details of your account."

His pale finger tapped on a series of connected dots. "Sign here and you're all good to go."

The blonde did just that, scribbling her name in cursive and Jack drew back the contract. She handed him back the pen and felt – for the world – like she had just signed her name on a deal with the devil himself.

Jack was staring at her impassively, handsome face blank. It was then that Rapunzel knew she in fact, _had_ made a deal with some sinister forces.

It wasn't even her first day of work and she was already wondering if she could head back home - anything to escape the smoldering accusation and unconcealed lust in his eyes.

~~O~~O~~

"I'm home!" she called out, tossing her bag and jacket onto the nearest couch.

"In the kitchen!" Merida hollered back and she could hear various bumps and thumps going on in the kitchen, peppered with some curses.

Concerned, she walked to the room, a look of surprise when she saw Merida practically covered with flour. The white substance clung to her hands and the front of her apron, even whitening the strands of her fire red hair.

"What are you doing?" Rapunzel asked dubiously.

"Planning a war," Merida replied sarcastically. "Och, what did'ya think Ah was doing? Ah was trying to bake a cake."

Rapunzel blink, pleasantly surprised that her best friend had initiated cooking today instead of her.

"Why the sudden need for a cake?" she asked as she went to the sink, washing her hands.

The blonde grabbed hold of the bowl that Merida was wrestling with. She studied it and with a pout, filled in more water and added another egg.

"What are ye doing?" Merida asked, eyes bulging. "Ye'll cause an explosion in the oven like that."

"No, I won't," Rapunzel said, smiling as she stirred the mixture. "That's how you're supposed to be making a cake – I presume, chocolate? - You have to add more eggs and water, if not the pastry would end up too dry."

Merida heaved a sigh and threw her hands up in defeat. "Whatever," she grumbled, before perking up as if she remembered something. "Oh, yeah, how was yer job interview today?"

She grimaced, not wanting to get into the details of her shouting match she had with Mr. 'I'm Being An Arse Because You Slept With Me'. Who just so happened to now be her boss...her new, totally smoking hot boss.

The red head couldn't see the face she was pulling so Rapunzel schooled her tone, making it as pleasant and mild as she could. "It was okay. I got the job."

"You did?" Merida asked in excitement. "Rapunzel, that's wonderful! Now, we don't have ter eat crappy ramen every single Wednesday anymore."

She looked back to her friend who was staring at the cake wistfully. Realization dawned on her just then.

"You wanted to make a cake instead of buying one from the bakery?"

Merida immediately snapped back from her reverie, looking defensive. "Between ye being unemployed and me parents stopping my money because of whot I said to me mum, we haven't exactly been living like Oprah, ye know?"

Rapunzel placed down the bowl and walked over to her friend, setting a hand on her tense shoulder. "Don't worry, Mer, we'll get by. Your mum would change her mind about you moving down to America and she'll send us some help. Parents would rarely ever leave their kids alone just like that."

Merida sighed and patted her friend's hand. "Yer right, but if she's as stubborn as me that could take a while."

Grinning, she resumed her stirring and said, "All in due time, Mer."

"Hey, yer never really did tell me whot happened yesterday," she said, as blunt as ever.

Rapunzel nearly dropped the spoon but she managed to compose herself, pouring the mixture into a waiting tray. The gooey, brown mixture filled up the spaces, managing to find a crook or corner that they belonged in. Unlike her.

"I told you, it was a meaningless one night stand," the blonde replied stubbornly.

"It didn't look meaningless to me," her friend remarked.

Rapunzel crumpled her brow as she looked to her friend. "What makes you say that?"

"The look of bliss on yer face, the way how you seemed to walk as if yer were on air – tell me, was he any good?"

The blonde flushed, as against her will the memories flooded back.

_Warm skin on hers, the soft fabric of his bed bunched between her clenched fists. Small sighs and body heat that could fog up the window if they tried hard enough..._

She made a noncommittal sound and placed the tray in the oven, the warm air from the vents doing little to stop her heated blush.

"Yer stalling."

"Fine. Yes, okay?" Rapunzel said with a sigh. She turned to face Merida, a look of dead seriousness in her eyes.

"He was the best dick I have ever had in the whole entire world."

The red head laughed at her expression, shaking her mass of wild curls. "Ah knew it."

Rapunzel shook her head, leaning her hip against the kitchen counter. "Are you happy now?"

"Very," Merida said with a wicked grin. "Ah left ye on yer own and Ah turned to find yer missing. Who woulda known that little, innocent Punz was actually on her way to the road of irredeemable debauchery."

She rolled her eyes, playfully swatting Merida with an oven mitt. "I told you everything I know and now it's your part to make sure you never bring this up again."

"Okay, okay," the red head said, lifting one hand up as an oath. "Ah, Merida DunBroch, would keep silent and never mention her best friend, Rapunzel Corona's night of mischief totally managed starting from now on."

"Oath taken," Rapunzel replied with a giggle.

"-Provided that she does the dishes for one week as agreed yesterday."

The blonde groaned and rolled her eyes. "You're unbelievable."

Merida shrugged. "Ah try. Wanna go watch some Netflix before dinner?"

She perked up at the mention of unwinding after a momentous day of stress, yelling and going head to head with that arrogant jerk of her boss. Who could say no to a night of relaxation after such a scenario as that?

"Start up the PC. I'm in."

~~O~~O~~

Rapunzel hated to admit it but she seemed to take extra deliberation in choosing what to wear for work now in the morning. The blonde surveyed her choices, trying to decide between a knee-length cream colored dress or a simple pink one. She settled on the pink one, thinking that it would bring out her tan.

She sprayed on some perfume, the scent of wildflowers permeating the air and grabbed her purse from the bed.

Exiting her room, she called out an impatient, "See ya, Mer," to which she received no reply. Rapunzel furrowed her brow and peeked in her friend's bedroom only to find it empty. Quirking a half smile she assumed that maybe Merida had been early to the archery centre to start her first day as Sharp Point's newest instructor.

The blonde shrugged and exited, heading to her car for her real first day of work.

~~O~~O~~

She arrived just before the minute hand strike 12 and sat herself on a desk near Tooth who greeted her the moment she came in. Rapunzel noticed another two more spaces, something she hadn't seen during her job interview.

She started up the PC, making herself a cup of coffee while waiting for her computer to heat up.

"Hey, do you and Jack know each other from somewhere?" Tooth quipped from out of the blue, running her hands through her multi-colored hair as she glanced over at the blonde.

Rapunzel nearly dropped her coffee, the scalding hot liquid burning her fingers.

"Ow, ow," she mumbled, setting the mug down on a nearby file shelf. "Come again?" she asked even if she had heard Tooth loud and clear.

The pretty receptionist just giggled as she shook her head, causing her long golden earrings to gently bump against her neck. "I was asking if you and Jack had met each other from somewhere. You guys seemed to recognize each other yesterday."

"Hmm, oh yeah," Rapunzel said, nodding. "We met at a local rave where he introduced himself after accidentally spilling his drink on my dress," she said, the lie flowing effortlessly. That was another thing that made her feel disconcerted; her ability to lie had improved ever since she moved out of her mother's house and into the big city together with Merida.

Tooth's magenta (wait, what? Were they always that color?) eyes bulged and she gave a low whistle. "Wow, imagine that, bumping into your own potential boss."

"Yup," Rapunzel said in a tone that was probably too cheery but the receptionist didn't seem to notice. Not to mention fucking him at the end of the day too, she amended mentally.

The petite woman giggled as she turned back to her computer, letting Rapunzel heave a breath of relief. Picking up her coffee, she sipped the bitter liquid while walking over to her computer.

There, she had two unread e-mails, one from Mr. North who stated a warmly welcome while informing her of her new company e-mail address. Another was from Jack, who wrote a short, concise letter telling her that he expected her in the office before 9 tomorrow. She glanced at the clock overhead and mentally rolled her eyes, thinking that punctually wouldn't be much of a problem for her.

She closed the e-mail just in time to hear the office doorbell chiming and a tall, lanky man with blue-grey hair walking in, followed by another shorter, much portly man who wore a look of sleepiness on his face.

"Aster! Sandy!" Tooth practically crowed as she stood up and gripped Rapunzel by her hand, pulling her up too. The blonde was too stunned from essentially getting (wo)manhandled by her new co-worker and could only offer the two men a small wave.

"Meet Rapunzel, our new advertising manager," she said. Tooth then pointed at the taller man, saying, "That's Aster, the resident promotion and visual manager." She gestured at the shorter man. "And that's Sandy, our finance director."

Aster gave her a once over, smile in place. "Hey, Sheila, good to have you on board."

Sandy nodded vigorously, fingers moving in complicated patterns that made her realize that he was mute. Thankfully, Tooth intepreted it for her. "He says that he's happy to meet you."

"Oh," Rapunzel said, blinking in suprise. She recovered long enough to shoot him a friendly smile. "Tell him I'm happy to meet him too."

"Sandy can hear ya," Aster said, and she had only just noticed he spoke with a lilt in his accent. Australian, probably. "But he just can't speak."

"Oh...Well, then, I'm happy to meet you too."

The shorter man nodded in acknowledgement, rustling up his gravity-defying shock of golden blond hair. Internally, Rapunzel wondered how much voluminzer he had used to achieve the look.

The two men took their seats, behind Rapunzel and Tooth before starting on their own work.

Tooth grinned and passed her a memo. A sinking feeling made itself known in her chest.

Rapunzel had a personal meeting later, with Jack at three in the afternoon to discuss the office's new online template and a possible negotiation with Arendelle Holidays Ltd for a merging between their Norway offers and St. North's Norwegian based tours.

"Psst, Tooth," Rapunzel whispered. The receptionist turned and said, "Yeah?"

"What time does Mr. Overland reach the office."

"Um, about-"

The door burst open, admitting a harried looking Jack who barely even acknowledged his other co-workers and who stormed into his office, closing the glass partition shut with a loud 'thump', all the while arguing hotly to someone else on the other side of his call.

"-told you, the tours shouldn't be scheduled so early..."

Even through the closed doors, Rapunzel could still hear him raging and wondered if this was the same man she had followed home two nights ago. They definitely didn't act the same even if they shared a face.

"Well, there he is," Tooth remarked brightly before going back to her work. The blonde could only glance at her in disbelief. How could she not be rattled by the show of Jack's temper?

"Is he always like this every morning?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," Aster remarked, stretching his arms and resting it behind his neck, unintentionally showing of muscled biceps complimented by swirling blue tattoos that made no sense to her. "Every morning, especially when he has to talk to his uncle's other company."

Rapunzel furrowed her brow. "If he's so stressed, why doesn't he just pass the call to one of you guys?"

Aster snorted. "He would if he had any idea to. We normally just let him rant to some poor intern."

The blonde didn't know how to reply to that. A trickle of dislike cemented itself in the back of her mind for her boss. If there's one thing she couldn't take, it was a person who dished out their anger on someone else to compensate for feeling mad. Kind of like her mother.

She refused to go there, concentrating on her work, trying hard to put behind the image of bright red lips drawn into a condescending sneer as they spewed out emotional toxic.

~~O~~O~~

It was a little after lunch when her meeting was scheduled and she walked into his office, slightly apprehensive at how he was going to treat her today.

"Close the door," Jack said curtly. A zing of heat crept up her body and she turned before he could see her face blush. Rapunzel cursed herself; she hated the way how any word or command that escaped his lips sounded like something out from a sexual innuendo book.

Jack looked up from his typing and gestured to the seat opposite from his desk. She sat down, unconsciously pulling the hem of her dress so that it wouldn't seem inappropriate.

A bitter laugh echoed in her mind. After what had happened two days ago, everything with him was suddenly inappropriate.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about the new project coming up," he said, eyes steadily glued to his laptop.

"Oh, yeah," she replied, head tilted to one side and wondering if she could catch his eye. Rapunzel had a strange habit when it came to people; she preferred if they looked her in the eye while she was talking so that she didn't feel as if she were speaking to a brick wall. Her efforts were to no avail as he didn't even bother to spare her a glance.

How rude.

"I checked with Aster and he helped me with some of the code," she started, "I've already set the background color and chose the photographs that would compliment our new brochure as well but I still need some advice from you on how to-"

"The wordings of the advertisement will be done by Aster too," Jack replied, picking up his mug and sipping from it. Rapunzel glared mutinously at the mug, silently wishing that telekinesis would appear Ala Stephen King's 'Carrie' so that she could make the scalding liquid tip over, possibly staining his immaculate white dress shirt while at it.

"Maybe I could ask him what would be better suited to say, 'Hey, look at me while I'm talking so I don't feel like an outlandish, borderline shizo'."

She wished she could take back her words the moment they left her mouth but it was too late. Jack did look up from his work if only to fix her with a baleful gaze. She seemed to shrink under his glare, the blue eyes swirling like a whirlpool of ice and sharp daggers.

"Yes?" he said, curtly.

The blonde recovered quickly, smug that he had been forced to hear her out. "I was _saying_ that maybe he could teach me the reins on how to work so that I wouldn't have to hound him every five minutes to see if what I'm doing is right," she replied as contritely as possible, remembering who she was speaking to.

Jack shrugged, his glare melting to a look of warning. "Fair enough, I'll ask him to teach you."

Silence descended upon them and Rapunzel felt the very improper need to start telling a dirty joke before she was being reminded on the fact that she was communicating with her boss.

As far as etiquette went, she wasn't so sure if a sexual joke was something that should be shared with co-workers, regardless if there had been hanky-panky at play previously between boss and employee. She mentally despaired; she didn't even know if it was inappropriate to ask him where the toilet was, acutely aware of the pressing need in her bladder. Sanity saved her by stating that maybe she should ask Tooth after the meeting instead of blurting out toilet problems to her distractedly hot boss.

She nodded, standing up to leave.

"Oh, and Rapunzel?"

_Rapunzel...not Miss Corona_, she thought. _Must be something good._

"Yes?" she said, turning back to face him. For the first time today she saw him resembling at least a modicum of bashfulness as he ran a hand through his bleached white hair.

He sighed, eyes becoming hard once more. "It's alright," he replied callously. "Just make sure the wordings are on my desk before you leave today."

The blonde didn't know why but disappointment coursed through her veins at his sudden dismissal. She nodded, not wanting him to see her expression and walked out of his office, closing the door behind her as she went.

She knew that whatever he was about to say did not, in actual effect, even contain the mention of wordings. Or was even remotely work-related.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Obviously, you guys can tell that Jack has some issues. But where would the fun be if things would get magically solved within two chapters? :P **

**Review, please?**


	3. Everybody's Got Issues, Hun

**Okay, okay, here's another update. So, first things first, to:-**

**_FrozenLanterns:_ You could say that although I'm still deciding lol**

**_ImagineDragonz7:_ Glad you liked the bit of incorporated lemons too cause they were really fun to write, haha ;) **

**_X-otic:_ Thanks! I try to make her seem like a grown woman while still retaining her innocence and naivety about the real world. It's a hard characterization to put for her though, heh. **

**To the rest who reviewed, followed and favorited; thank you all so much! I'm truly grateful for the amazing response that this story has been getting and am so happy that you guys love it as much as I do :) **

* * *

><p>Rapunzel thought she would never feel a strong sense of relief as she did now, finishing the last of her wordings and saving it in the pre-opened document. Sighing, she stood up, her heart sinking when she realized that she was the only one staying in the office.<p>

Tooth had cheerily left when the clock struck 5.30, citing that she had a date to go to. Bunny had followed soon after, leaving her alone with Sandy for another hour before the short man waved goodbye and proceeded to walk out of the glass door.

Rapunzel massaged the kinks out of her neck and quickly inserted her USB into the PC's dock, transferring the documents to her file. She pulled it out, standing up and walking to Jack's office. The blonde knocked on his door, opening it only when he said, "Come in."

She placed the USB on his desk, turning to go. Jack had barely even sustained eye contact with her, giving a curt nod in her direction that made her wonder what was sticking up his-

Never mind.

"I'm heading home," she announced, standing at the threshold.

"Alright, see you tomorrow," he replied, glancing fleetingly up at her. She swallowed hard and nodded, ignoring the way how his blue eyes caused a flip in her belly and a clenching in her heart. Picking up her bag, she switched off the computer and headed out, closing the door softly in her wake.

Rapunzel headed to the lift that would take her to the car park, humming a song under her breath. She heard the door of her office closing and tried not to make a face when she saw Jack approaching her, keeping her expression as neutral as she could.

He stopped and stood a good distance away from her. Despite the few feet between them, she still felt small sparks of electricity, as if her nerves were connected to his with tiny cables that sent of waves of heat whenever he was close by. She tried not to let it affect her, concentrating on the walls and on tiles, trying to count them through the agonizing wait.

"So, how was your first day today?" His voice was gruff, laced with trepidation that was as clear as day. She looked up, finding cool blue eyes taking her in. She hitched the strap of her bag higher, mulling over her words.

"It was fine," she replied. "The sandwich shop that Tooth recommended for lunch fell a little flat."

He surprised her by chuckling. "That's because you haven't tried their masala chicken sandwich."

"Is it any good?"

"One of the best, but nothing could beat the one that I had in India together with the pita bread. Absolutely delish."

"You've been to India?" she asked, gaping. It wasn't fair; she'd always wanted to travel, having found out the wanderlust brewing in her soul when she saw pictures of Elinor and Fergus – Merida's parents – on various adventures in Scotland, their native country.

"Yup," he said, running a hand through his hair sheepishly, as if shy of her attention.

"And-?"

"All I can say that it was a beautiful country, filled with color and different culture. Tooth even brought me to the temple that her great-grandfather used to serve in before they migrated to America."

"Tooth's family was from India?" Rapunzel asked, eyes wide. She had never suspected that her co-worker had such an exotic background.

"Yeah," he said, smiling slightly.

Their conversation was interrupted when the bell of the lift 'dinged', opening up it's ancient doors with an audible creak.

Jack allowed her to step in first, holding the door open for her. Her heart fluttered slightly at his polite gesture, something that she didn't expect he would do.

"So, India with Tooth," she continued, "That must've been fun."

He smirked. "Don't tell me you're jealous," he remarked, waggling his eyebrows. She hadn't noticed it, but for a guy, he had really nice eyebrows, something that struck her as being hygienic and caring for his outer appearance.

Oh, good, at least he's not a slob, she thought, relieved.

She scoffed. "Hardly." Though she was hard pressed to admit that a flame of envy lighted up in her chest. No, no, it's because he managed to go to India, not because he went with his receptionist...his pretty, adorable, quirky receptionist.

Jack shrugged, gaze falling to land on his shoes. She scrambled in her mind for something to say, the bell from the lift intervening and saving her from another awkward situation involving her boss.

"So, where did you park?" he asked.

She didn't comprehend what he had said, mumbling, "Huh?" as she fumbled for her car keys.

They slipped out from her purse, landing on the tarmac with a loud jingle. Rapunzel silently cursed as she bend down to retrieve them. A pale hand beat her to it, lifting up the keys by the ring and handing it to her.

Her cheeks heated up and she prayed that under the dim lighting, her blush would be unnoticeable. "Thank you."

He was smiling at her, not one of those small smirks that seemed to be his trademark expression, but a real, genuine smile.

"Want me to walk you to your car?"

Okay, so maybe this day couldn't get anymore weirder. Why was he being so nice?

"Why are you being so nice now?" she blurted out, before cursing herself. That wasn't suppose to escape the confines of her mind.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a nice change from your usual asshole-_ness_ but isn't that a tad bit too out of character for you?"

Neither was that suppose to leave her mouth.

It was too late to take it back now, as Jack was giving her a long stare.

"What?" she asked, flustered.

"I only offered because there had been cases of women getting attacked by snatch thieves. Forgive me if I wanted to make sure one of my co-workers made it safely to her car," he replied, raising a brow.

Her blush returned with a vengeance. Of course, maybe that was why, her mind tried to reason.

Or not, her instinct supplied. Maybe he has a different motive. Her mind leaped to alertness before realizing that Jack wouldn't do that to her. He had already proven that he was at least a decent guy when he wasn't acting like the human personification of a prick.

The blonde shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant even when her heart was racing within the confines of her chest. "I don't see no harm in that."

Whatever civility and friendship they had mustered up during those few moments of conversation disappeared, the cold feeling of awkwardness seeping between them once again. Rapunzel mentally cursed her mouth, wishing that she could take back her words.

Jack walked beside her, silent as a ghost. She felt amused by her own comparisons for he did resemble a ghost: pale, white haired and brooding.

But underneath it all, she knew that a fun persona lived; she had seen it two nights ago, when he recounted his story of a failed Nerf war with some children; it was there when she asked him if he really did try snowboarding once without a harness.

How she missed that side of him, the side whose bright blue eyes shined with mirth and his lips were upturned in careless delight.

They reached her worn out, ten year old Bug and she opened the car door, willing her mind to come up with something to tell the handsome young man how grateful she was.

And, as usual, when her mind was under stress, nothing came.

"That's a nice car you have," he commented. Rapunzel looked up to find him smirking, and she retaliated with an indignant look.

"Making fun of Max?" she asked archly.

"Whoa, I meant it in a good way," he said, lifting his arms up in pacification as he chuckled lightly. "And 'Max'?"

"Yes, Max," she replied, sticking out her tongue at him, "Don't misuse it."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Rapunzel grinned as she entered the car, turning back to him for one last glance. "Thank you," she said, features softening in her sincerity. "For walking me here."

The white haired man shrugged, shooting her one last smirk. "Don't mention it," he stated.

She watched as he walked away, strong shoulders moving under the starch fabric of his shirt, muscles bunching together in the most attractive way.

_Small hands wrapped around his shoulders, the muscles like bundles of hard wires under her touch, tensing as he leaned down to give her one last kiss..._

The blonde shook herself out the reverie, closing the door, cursing in her mind. He was her boss now, there was no denying it. She couldn't ever think about him that way, not now, not ever.

Starting up the engine, she reversed, revving loudly, trying to ignore the stirring in her chest and heart. Rapunzel drove as if there was a hell hound on her back and if she were being honest with herself, it was also partly due to the stubborn feeling in her gut that refused to acknowledge the small flicker of warmth blooming in her chest; present at the thought of the white haired man with searing blue eyes and trademark playful smirk.

~~O~~O~~

Rapunzel was sitting down on the couch, bowl of soup and bread balanced precociously on her knee as green eyes stayed glue to the screen of their small TV. Her mind was halfway trailed on a madman holding a gun to the protagonists' head, the other half concentrating on not thinking about today.

The door opened, admitting a haggard looking Merida. Rapunzel playfully did a double take, grimacing. "You look as if you nearly escaped a mauling."

The redhead huffed a huge breath as she sank on the couch, stealing some of the buttered toast from her plate. "From the way how those kids were sho'oting arrows left and right, it might as well have been a medieval death by archery competition," she remarked, shaking her head. Tired blue eyes closed for a moment, relishing the quiet and peace of their apartment.

"So, want to tell me how today went?" Rapunzel asked innocently, standing up and moving to the adjoined kitchen, "Please, enlighten me so that I can sympathize about your near death experiences while I try to forget my equally horrifying but less dangerous day."

"Har har," Merida said sarcastically. "And if ye're having a bad day, it's not showing."

Rapunzel pretended to flutter her eyelashes, smiling in mock flattery. "Why, thank you, Mer. It's my new foundation – you like?"

The Scot scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

The blonde knew that her friend had been having a hard day from the tensing of her shoulders to the pinched crease on her forehead. And she knew that all Merida needed now was some helpful pick-me-up. Ladling some soup in a ceramic bowl and placing some extra toast on a seperate plate, she walked back to the living room, handing the dish to her.

Merida mumbled a thank you, sipping noisily from the bowl. Rapunzel winced at her blatant disregard of mannerisms but knew that it was just something that she did from years of trying to defy her mother's primness.

Speaking of her mother...

"Did your mum try to reach you?" she asked, sitting down in heap next to her friend. From her periphery, she could see Merida flinch and stiffen but paid no heed. They were going to have to talk about it sooner or later.

"No," the redhead admitted with a sigh. "She's still silent and it's not as if I'm planning to reach out to her."

Rapunzel sighed along with her friend, knowing the struggle she must be facing. Unbidden, images of wiry black hair, sharp eyes and red lips came into her mind and the blonde knew that she couldn't fault her close friend for wanting to stay estranged from her mother; she herself still had some mama issues and didn't plan to resolve them anytime soon.

"You know what, I'm sorry for bringing that up," she mumbled.

"Huh?"

"I said I felt bad for bringing that up and that I don't think I'm in the position to judge you after what happened with me and...Gothel."

_No, mother, _her mind corrected but she couldn't bring herself to say it. She couldn't bring herself to say it after knowing that she was adopted and that her foster mother practically had no intention of telling her for as long as she could put out.

"Hey, Punz, you okay?" Merida asked. She looked to find a piercing concerned stare, prodding her thoughts and trying to catch her eye.

"Nothing," she said, staring down at her twined fingers. They were clenched so tight together that the skin was stretched thin across her knuckles, bleaching it white against her bones.

"Don't worry, ye and yer mother would sort it out."

"When? Between the point of over-protectiveness or the edge of an absolute lie?" Rapunzel bit out, tone scathing.

Merida took a deep breath. "Both. Between the lines, over the fence. Whatever ye wish."

"You know I can't forgive her."

"Ah wasn't expecting ye to."

Silence descended upon them and Rapunzel realized that this was the most that she had allowed herself to divulge of her problems, preferring to sweep it under the rug and pretend like they never existed. A part of her knew; that was not how problems were solved.

Her dinner ran cold and she had no more desire to eat. Rapunzel stood up, grabbing her plate and bowl, proceeding to the kitchen. She washed up and wiped her hands dry, stealing one last look at the phone. A red light blinked, signalling that there had been a missed call, but she didn't need to check to know that it was her mother – _adopted_ _mother_ – who had rang her up in hopes that she would answer.

_Sorry Mother, not today, _she thought.

"Going to bed now, goodnight," she bid.

"Night," Merida replied, sneaking a worried glance over that Rapunzel had missed.

The blonde walked to her room, freshened up and pulled on a pair of her favorite top and shorts, snuggling into the covers as she switched off the lights. She knew it was a little too early for bedtime, only finding sleep when the clock showed 11 but right now, she needed the rest.

Needed the temporary respite of unconsciousness the way how a child might need the comfort of their old soft toy.

Switching off her phone she settled her head on the pillow, her thoughts a mass of angst ridden anger, coupled with flashes of wordings, colors and the brightest set of blue eyes.

~~O~~O~~

In the opposite side of the city, connected by the same place that employed them as the hub in the middle, Jack Overland sat down to his meal, his apartment silent in its own loneliness.

North had a dinner meeting with some potential clients to discuss matters about an African tour and told him that he would not be back until 12. Jack was mystified; he had never heard the discussion of simple tours needing after hours, what more till midnight.

He stared at his plate of Chinese takeout, swirling the noodles and vegetables with the tines of his fork. His mind was whirling, the sounds and thoughts silent like a supernatural storm. He was thinking about work, about the latest merging, about the obnoxious employee that refuted his claims by saying that, "Sorry sir, we only accept calls on behalf of North by someone that is known to be in the company."

But most of all, he was thinking of wide green eyes and the scent of wildflowers.

Cursing, he dropped his fork, blue eyes restless as they searched for an outlet to forget the mention of his newest employee.

He tried and failed, the thoughts overpowering, each one echoing in his mind like unanswered questions.

How was he suppose to know that he had slept with one of his employees? And why, in the heavens above was he still thinking about her? She had permeated her mind, infecting it like a disease so that it would only be hung up on perfect lips, shiny blonde hair and the way how she whispered his name after he had kissed her for the tenth time. Yes, he had even counted how many times his lips had brushed against hers.

He wondered why would she have left him. Was she embarrassed? Did she already have a significant other? Was he – God forbid – that bad in bed?

The last one was simple to find an answer; from the way how she held on to him, to the half-healed fingernail imprints on his back, he was hard pressed to say that he had preformed bad.

Was it the fact that she didn't even care about his feelings and just wanted a cheap and meaningless fling?

Jack knew he was sounding like a hussy, but he couldn't help it. He had never had a girl walk out on him after sex. They usually stayed for breakfast and maybe even lunch if they had made an impression on him.

Granted, he had only taken home two girls before her but none of them had ever sneaked away in the middle of the night. Like some fugitive or guilty thief.

He also knew that she had appeared to be a virgin, although that fact was lost on her when he first broke her barrier. Till now, the thought that she was so enraptured by his administrations to even notice him taking her virginity made him bowl over in surprise. If only he had someone to tell about that wonderful, probably once in a lifetime feat.

The young man sighed. No, it would not do him any good to be thinking of a woman who probably would never even give him the time of the day.

Scowling, he made a resolution to himself.

Never let her know what you're truly feeling, less she would walk out of your heart in the middle of the night without even an explanation.

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><p><strong>AN: What do you guys think happened between Merida and her mum? Will Jack keep his promise to himself?**

**Review? **


	4. A Silver Lining?

**I am in the midst of over-stressing for my exams, freaking out about things I can't control and of course, staying up way to late so I'm sorry if this new update took awhile.**

**Anyway, we'll be seeing a new character here for the first time, so, yay :D**

**And a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed! I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

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><p><em>Second day of work,<em> she thought to herself, aiming for an upbeat smile in her reflection. The girl before her wore a tight look – almost a grimace – and Rapunzel gave up. She tried to remember anything she could've forgotten before leaving her room, car keys in hand.

She stopped by Merida's room, wanting to tell her that she was leaving when she noticed the room was empty. Once again, her best friend had beaten her in waking up earlier to head out for work.

Smiling slightly, she opened the door, and relished in the cool air blowing from the open window down the hall, mind pleasantly blank as she stopped to admire her neighbor's potted roses.

~~O~~O~~

Another day had passed, with nothing but the sound of the whirring photostatting machine and the typing of her co-workers to fill in the silence. Twice she had looked over to find Sandy nodding off, eyes blinking to stay awake as he mulled over some financial statements.

Aster and Tooth were restless too, eyes constantly shifting to the clock mounted on the wall in front of them. Evening came and Rapunzel couldn't be more than glad that she would finally be able to get back home. Throughout the day, she had only seen Jack twice, once when he entered the office, and the other when he called her to discuss some of the art used for their online template.

Around mid-afternoon, her fingers had started itching, mind racing as images of various scenes and objects whirled through her bored thoughts. It was that time of the day again. The time of the day that pushed and whispered to her for a wooden pencil and a piece of paper. The part of her that yearned to draw, the call to start creating art like a siren's voice.

She was just shrugging on her coat when Jack's voice called, pulling her out of her reverie.

"Miss Corona, I need you for a second."

Sighing internally, she trudged to his office, pushing open the glass door. "Yes?" she called, catching sight of a mop of white hair bent over some documents.

Blue eyes gazed up at her, taking in her purse and jacket. "Were you planning to leave now?"

"Yeah," she replied nonchalantly, lifting an eyebrow. "Something the matter?"

"Yes, in fact, I thought that you would be available to stay an extra hour-"

"Hold up, you want me to do overtime?" she asked, not even bothering to hide the disbelief in her tone. "Shouldn't you like inform me before, send me a memo, that shebang?"

Jack frowned, gaze flaring. "Alright then, I'll just handle it from here."

Something in his tone made her gut grip in guilt and she sighed. "How long would it be?"

Eyebrows pulled together. "About an hour."

Sighing, she mentally placed a reminder to call Merida and tell her to buy some dinner. Shrugging out of her jacket one more time, she sagged against the door frame.

"Alright, hit me with your best shot."

He smiled which made her heart thud a little bit faster. At least he seemed to appreciate her humor.

Tossing her a USB, she caught it deftly, ignoring his pointed gaze and walked back to her computer, artistic pull forgotten in a pang of disappointment.

~~O~~O~~

"Thanks for what you're doing."

His voice pulled her out of her concentration and she looked up to find him gazing down at her.

"Hmm?" she asked, frowning in confusion.

Shaking his head, Jack shot her a small smile. "I just thanked you for your hard work, Miss Corona, in case you noticed."

She responded with a smile of her own, nodding. "Thanks, boss." Tone chipper, she gestured to the file. "But seriously, can I leave now?"

He shrugged. "I don't see what not. But it's late, so I'll walk you to your car."

"Do I have to put a leash on and start wagging my tail?" she teased, standing up, trying to ignore the sensation of pins-and-needles running down her legs.

"You could, makes for a different scene from today's bore," he replied, in the same teasing manner and she smiled.

"Alright, then."

"Let me close down the office and we can leave."

Rapunzel waited for him to do just that, idly lingering by the exit as she checked her desk for anything that she might've left.

"Done," Jack announced, exiting the door and switching off the lights.

Satisfied that she had left nothing behind, she followed him down the stretch of corridor, mildly surprised to find that their offices was one of the last ones to close for the day.

"Do you always work this late?" she commented, glancing sideways at him.

He mulled it over, pushing white bangs out of his eyes. "Hmm, yeah. Why?"

"Nothing," the blonde replied, "Just that it seems strange, ya know, you being Mr. North's nephew and all that should at least grant you the permission to leave early.

Her boss gave a not-so-graceful snort as he shook his head. "Oh, Rapunzel, you've got that so wrong."

Green eyes widened as she gave him a gaze of disbelief.

"It's because I am Mr. North's nephew that I have to work harder – I can't let people say that I got this job because of nepotism."

She pursed her lips, thinking over his reasoning. "Seems logical."

Jack's playful disposition turned pensive and she wondered what she had said now to piss him off again. He caught her stare and shook his head, as if trying to get rid of his thoughts.

"What?" she asked innocently. "Was it something I said?"

Bright eyes closed off from her, retreating back into his shell once more. "Nothing," he replied curtly.

His gaze dropped to the tarmac, the only sound between them was the clacking of their shoes on the road.

"Say, I need your help," he piped up after the moment of awkward silence.

"Yeah?" She couldn't help the trepidation that laced her tone, wondering if he wanted her to head back to the office for another round of overtime. Cringing, Rapunzel was already starting up on the excuses that she could use, when her mind reminded her that it was well past eight, and no sane person would work themselves till nighttime. It probably went against some employment law or something.

"You do know that St. North is planning to form a merger with Arendelle right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I heard."

"Well, normally for us, whenever a new deal is about to take place, my uncle would take the management out for dinner, just the inner circles, and we take a trip down to said country and see for ourselves the places that are suitable for our customers," he started, "And I was wondering if you would like to join us during the dinner."

"Uhm, sure," she replied, nearly stuttering over her relief. "That sounds great – I mean, it's not as if we're a big company so dinner can't be that expensive – no, that's not what I meant to say, it's just that-"

_Deep breath, Rapunzel, don't give yourself an aneurysm._

"-It would be a pleasure to."

He grinned, the expression lighting up his face like a shop window on Christmas day. "Cool. We're heading to the Four Seasons hotel downtown for lunch, somewhere next week. Take note of the timing, Tooth will tell us once she's finalized agreements with Miss Arendelle's PR."

_Wow, Miss Arendelle's PR,_ she thought._ That sounds fancy._

"Sure," she chirped before thinking that her response was a little too bright. Tone it down, or else he might think that she's never been to a fancy hotel before with a fancy named person...which in effect, she hasn't.

They reached her car, and like yesterday, Jack waited until she had started up the car before he left her, alone with her thoughts after a slow day at work.

It wasn't her fault that throughout the drive, her mind was stuck on the possibilities of what to wear, what to say that she didn't notice herself running over a sharp rock.

A loud sound, almost like an explosion, shook her out of her thoughts and she shrieked, car swerving our of control before she managed to hit the brakes, halting her in the middle of the street. Another driver beeped his horn at her in annoyance, scowling in the direction of her car as he overtook her.

Rapunzel slumped in her seat, brain stunned. What happened? Did somebody rig her car up with an explosion?

The thought set her in motion, causing her to switch on her hazard lights and step out of her car, trying to find out what had happened.

She caught sight of the flat tire and groaned, leaning against the frame of her car. Remembering the spare tire, she opened her booth, ignoring the glare of the other headlights and peeked in to see if she solve this by her own.

No such luck. It was then that she remembered that her spare tire had already found another use, for one of the other tires for her car.

Annoyed, she brought out her phone and called in the nearest pick-up center. The man at the other end of her line sounded gruff, almost as if he were annoyed at her for interrupting whatever he had been doing before she made the call.

But he replied that a tow truck would be there in five minutes and to be patient. The line disconnected with a curt click and she huffed, going to wait in her car.

Rapunzel wanted to call Merida, to tell her friend that she would be late for dinner and to start without her. However, fate had other plans as her phone was running on low battery, and later, fell flat. She sighed and rubbed her temples, wondering what she had done to piss of the universe that it needed to cause her such retribution.

A horn sounded and she jerked her head up, wondering if it was another asshole who wanted to laugh in her face because of her bad luck. Instead, it was the tow truck and she let out a small cry of relief.

"Heard you needed a tow because of a flat tire?"

Rapunzel's mouth ran dry.

Standing in front of her, was a tall man, slender yet muscular in the upper body, with smoldering eyes and a smirk that made her realize she was currently, unabashedly, gawking at him.

"Um yes," she said, nodding. "That's me." Wow. _Lame._

The guy took a look at her car, hopped back in the truck and moved to the front. He moved down once more, attaching a hook to the underside of the car's bumper and securing it. He took a deep breath, standing up straight.

"Well, that's all we can do now. Want a lift?"

She could only nod, following him as he got into the truck. Rapunzel sat in the passenger seat, wondering if she was imposing too much on him. The guy seemed to be able to read her mind as he chuckled.

"Don't worry, you're not troubling me...much," he said and there was a teasing edge to his voice. His brown eyes took her in and she suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if she were a specimen under a microscope and he was the scientist that was taking note of her every move.

"Do you flirt with all your customers like this?" she blurted out.

His eyebrows knitted together and he laughed, shaking his head, neat brown hair flapping in the wind from the opened windows.

"Are you always this blunt?"

"Yes," she replied, clearly embarrassed.

"Hmm, well, I normally only flirt with the pretty ones," he said, shifting his gaze and throwing her a wink.

She huffed, her cheeks warming. What was wrong with her? He's only a simple tow truck man; she shouldn't feel so shy around him.

"The name's Eugene," he said. "I would shake your hand but their currently covered in grease sludge from the repair shop."

"That's okay," Rapunzel replied, smiling even if he couldn't see it. "My name's Rapunzel, and thanks for taking the time off to help me with this."

"No problem," he replied. "That's my job, ma'am."

She didn't know what else to say now that the formalities have been spent so she just stared out the window, contemplating on how her friend would react when she realized that Rapunzel had not made it back home. The blonde grimaced, making a mental note to call Merida when she reached the shop. Or maybe...

Glancing at Eugene, she decided that there was no harm in asking. "Hey, do you mind if I borrow your phone? I need to make a call to my roommate."

In response, he removed a battered cellphone from the pocket of his oil stained jeans. "There you go."

She thanked him and dialled Merida's number, hoping that the Scot would answer and she wasn't busy trying to reach her already dead cell.

"'ello?"

"Mer, it's me," she said, relieved. "My car had some trouble on the way back and I might be home later."

"Och, what happened?" She could hear the concern in her friend's tone as clear as day. "Do ya want me to come and pick ye up?"

Rapunzel glanced at the clock, hastily replying, "No, no, there's no need. I'll find a cab. You just eat first and save whatever food left for me."

"Okay," Merida conceded. "Stay safe and remember-"

"-Always seat in the backseat where there are two doors for escaping," she said, talking over her best friend who was saying the exact words. "I know, I know, you remind me of that like about a dozen times.

The red head snorted. "And there's me reminding ye for the thirteenth time. Stay safe, kay?"

"Okay," Rapunzel echoed, clicking the phone shut. She handed it back to Eugene with a grateful smile.

"Your friend sounds like the caring type," he remarked.

"Yeah, we're pretty close," the blonde replied, feeling the weight in her chest lightened now that Merida knew what had happened to her.

"You know, I could give you a ride home if you wanted," Eugene offered. Rapunzel raised a brow.

"Really? You wouldn't mind? Even if I may be a homicidal werewolf that has a history with dealing in blood trade?"

He frowned, clearly not understanding what she was trying to imply. "If it helps, it's not the full moon, yet," he said, shrugging. "So, why not?"

Rapunzel thought this over. Risk her life – as Merida so aptly put – by taking a taxi at night or hitching a ride with this good looking stranger who she wouldn't mind being in her presence for a little while longer?

"Sure," the blonde replied brightly.

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><p><strong>AN: Just to be reassure you guys that this isn't going to be a New Dream fic (like duh) but any guesses if Jack would somehow get annoyed and/or jealous because of Eugene?**

**Review, please? **


	5. Ain't A Protocol

**I had this one sitting in my drafts for a long time before I realized I hadn't updated this story in awhile. I apologize for that because my muse seemed to have taken off and not want to sit down long to write this. I don't know, I'm still trying to placate her - maybe give her a sacrifice or something. Hint: she loves the blood of new reviews *lightning crashes in the distance and I smile creepily at all of you* **

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><p>Rapunzel awoke the next morning and went through the same routine as she did every other morning. With an elated glance at her alarm clock, she was absolutely happy to note that today was already Friday, which meant extra hours of Netflix and maybe some take out tonight. God, her life really was pathetic.<p>

She skipped to her wardrobe, pulling out a pink dress with matching purple tights. She did her hair up in a high ponytail and applied a liberating amount of blush, achieving the 'I just ran for a hundred miles and still look fantastically fabulous' look. Oh, makeup...it was the cover-up of gods and fakes alike.

Vaguely, she remembered what had made contributed to her happiness and recalled a certain brown haired man who had made her laugh once during their ride. She liked Eugene, she really did, but she didn't know why whenever the thought of him arose, another sensation made itself known in her chest.

Guilt.

She was feeling guilty for flirting with a guy that she had every right to flirt with.

Tracing the feeling of guilt, it lead her straight to the image of Jack, his piercing blue eyes staring at her with a deep sense of anger and betrayal. Which was strange since she and Jack weren't even together in the slightest common notion.

Happy mood officially dissipated.

She sighed as she got to the apartment car park, eyes searching for her car. Dumbfounded, she realized her trusty old Bug wasn't there anymore and it dawned on her that her car was still in the repair center. Smacking her head with the heel of her hand, she quickly hurried up back to their apartment, hoping Merida would be kind enough to give her a ride to work.

Upon reaching the front door, she remembered that her red headed best friend had left early for work today, Sharp Point opening much earlier since they needed to get ready for the potential weekend crowd. Rapunzel groaned as she leaned against the wooden door, phone in hand.

She sighed and decided that she would have had no choice but to skip work today, seeing as it was too late to call for a taxi and there were no morning buses around her area.

Grimacing, she lifted the phone to her ear and dialed in her office's number.

"Hello." Oh, good, it was Tooth.

"Tooth, I'm kinda in a transportation problem today since my car broke down-"

"Oh my, are you okay?" came the alarmed voice of her colleague.

Rapunzel nodded before realizing that Tooth couldn't see her. "Yeah, and there are no other options so I've got no choice but to skip work."

"That's too bad, Jack called an impromptu meeting because we received new word from Arendelle Ltd today."

Crap.

The blonde winced. Why did her bad luck have such amazing timing?

"Tell him that I'm really sorry but I don't really have any transportation today," she said, hoping that her boss would understand and - God forbid - not cut her pay or something even worse.

"Okay," Tooth said in a soothing tone, as if she could understand what Rapunzel was currently feeling. Maybe she could. Tooth seemed like the motherly type that could read your mind without even trying. "I'll tell him. You stay safe, okay?"

"Sure. Thanks!"

She switched off her phone, inhaling deeply.

So. She was free for the day. What should she start on first?

Rapunzel stalked back into her empty apartment, the feeling of anxious curiosity filling her chest. What was she going to do for the rest of the day?

It wasn't as if the blonde was a workaholic - far from that - but she never liked to stay idle for too long. Rapunzel needed activity, and without it, she was sure she would slowly go insane from the restlessness.

She decided to bake something, to ease the guilt over missing work that still lingered in her heart. Setting out the ingredients, she busied herself with taking the measurements for the flour and sugar, removing a heart-shaped cookie cutter from the drawer and setting it down on the small counter.

Lifting the measuring cup to eye level, she set it back down, sighing. No, she wasn't happy doing this.

Maybe she should go on tumblr or something?

Learn a new recipe on Pininterest?

Try to recover her old friends on-

A loud horn knocked her out of her reverie and she scowled, walking to the window to see which jerk that had reached a conclusion that disturbing the neighborhood would be a good idea. She peeked out of the window, eyes widening with disbelief at the sight before her.

Jack was standing by the pavement, eyes narrowed from the bright glare of the sun, his blue Audi thrumming silently. Rapunzel opened the window latch, leaning out to address him.

"What's this about?" she asked in a loud voice, unsure if he could hear her from where she was standing.

"I'm taking you to work," he yelled back, "Like _duh._"

"Why?"

"What do you mean 'why?' We've got an important meeting today that's why." He grinned at her then, a smile so bright that she swore she could see his teeth gleaming even from her viewpoint by the window.

"This is something new," she said, smirking.

He returned her gesture. "Well, what're you waiting for? Get your cute ass down here so we can get to business."

It was ridiculous really, how her heart thudded just a little bit faster when he called her 'cute'. Although, she should really question her hormones on the 'ass' part.

"Okay, coming," Rapunzel called, closing the window.

Hurriedly, she returned the cooking utensils and ingredients back where they belonged and pulled on her favorite black cardigan, racing down to the elevator as fast as her feet could take her.

She opened the main door of her apartment, passing by an elderly lady whom she recognized as her lower floor neighbor, Miss Jemma. The older lady was bent over a flower patch, pink gloves bright against the greenery and beady eyes trailed on her.

"Morning," she called out.

"Rapunzel...that young man there's your boyfriend?"

She stopped in her tracks. In her periphery vision, she could just make out Jack shooting her an impatient look.

"N-No," she replied, and then added, "Ma'am."

The elderly lady nodded, as if her answer made the most sense. "Well, I would tell him to watch his mouth. A handsome young man, really, but he shouldn't be running his mouth like that where kids could hear him."

She wanted to remark that maybe there were no kids listening because all of them had to be in school. But instead, the blonde gave her a small smile and acknowledged her request.

"I'll tell him. Have a great day, Miss Jemma!"

Rapunzel didn't stick to listen to her reply as she quickly made her way to Jack who was giving her a curious stare.

"Who's she?" Jack asked as he walked over to her side, pulling open the door in a very gentleman-ly gesture.

She sat in the car, noting the luxurious interior. A faint smile twitched her lips as she caught sight of a snowflake pendant hanging from his rear view mirror.

Jack got in, closing the door with a soft _thud_.

"I didn't know that you had the address to my place." She meant it as a statement, as a question to the curiosity brimming within her thoughts. But it came out flirtatious instead and for a moment, Rapunzel wondered if he had noticed the playful tone in her voice.

A pink tinge brightened his cheeks but it faded fast.

"You did write it in your contract statement," he mumbled, setting the car in gear and taking off.

The car hummed to life under his touch, moving with an agile ease that her Bug had never experienced before. She was enraptured by the silence of the engine, the rich leather scent permeating the air.

"Nice car," she said appreciatively.

Jack glanced over at her, blue eyes alighting with mischief. "Why, thank you. Beats your Bug, huh?"

"You know what, forget I even paid your car a compliment."

"I'm sorry," he said in his most contrite tone although something about it sounded patronizing to her. "Truly. And thank you for your kind words."

"This meeting must be one heck of a deal if you were willing to wake up every single one of my neighbors just to get me to work," she replied, wondering if she would make him flustered like before.

It seemed to work, a look of annoyance passed on his features.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"What's so desperate about me being there? They need me to comment on the coloring scheme of their latest campaign or something?

"Or wait, let me guess – they got the color of the Norwegian snow scenery wrong. Can't say I blame them, snow is hard to replicate through the palette although the tones could be set to the default..."

He snorted, pulling up the sleeve of his blue hoodie with his free hand that wasn't on the steering wheel. She would never say this out loud to any living being in the whole world, but the hoodie suited him better than his work shirts ever could. It made him seem younger, much more at ease with himself.

As if he wasn't pretending to be someone he wasn't.

"Aren't you being extra snarky today. To be honest, I never thought you had it in you."

It was her turn to snort. "You haven't seen me yet when I'm riled up."

"Now that's something I can't wait for," he said, smirking like the cocky bastard he was when he wasn't being such a confusingly nice guy.

Again. His words reminded her of a romance erotica and...she should really get that out of her head before she started to blush.

"Why does your face get red sometimes whenever I talk to you. Am I really that hot?"

Oops, too late.

She rolled her eyes, playfully sticking out her tongue. "Dream on, Frostie."

"Huh, that's funny," he said. "How did you guess my nickname?"

Rapunzel ignored his question, preferring not to bring up way to personal stuff with him now. She wasn't sure if nicknames earned the discretionary protocol, but with him, she couldn't be too sure.

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><p>AN: I seriously had fun writing their banter.

Review?


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